Punk IPA, Brew Dog

Punk IPA (5.6%) is aggressive in every way – the brewers say on the label, in typical BrewDog fashion, that “we don’t care if you don’t like it” and the assertive hop bitterness may affront some taste buds. But this is the beer that helped kick-start the trend towards American-style IPAs and it should be treated with a degree of reverence as well as caution.

The malt is Maris Otter pale, used for the rich cracker biscuit character it gives to the finished beer. The hops are Ahtanum, Chinook, Nelson Sauvin and Simcoe and they combine to give not only profound bitterness but herbal, floral, leafy, grapefruit and lemon zest notes. Lemon and lime dominate the palate with iron-like bitterness, balanced by juicy malt. The finish is tart and tangy with citrus fruit and iodine-like bitterness but with a good balance of rich sappy malt and a hint of caramel.

330ml, £1.69 in Morrisons and Waitrose and many other stockists.